In my last post, I wrote about how Trump’s downplaying of the Wuhan Coronavirus is likely a serious problem, and going to make things worse.
The people most likely to believe Trump, and not take coronavirus seriously, will also very likely be the ones most hit hard if (or when) an outbreak occurs.
Donald Trump’s public statements largely downplaying the threats of coronavirus makes this all the more problematic. Now, he should not be inciting panic and a run on badly-needed resources, but without communicating the adequate level of threat that the public faces, a large proportion of his fervent followers will take him at his word, and not take action to help prevent the spread of an outbreak. Because of the type of devotion Trump and the GOP have cultivated within their base, who are they going to listen to more, the experts and doctors of the CDC and NIH trying to best protect Americans, or what is coming straight out of Donald Trump’s mouth? Unfortunately, I think we all know the answer to this question.
and his recent appearances since that Thursday press conference have not been much better.
Trump Says Coronavirus Response Should Be Nonpartisan, Attacks Democrats, Kisses Flag
With news today of the first COVID-19 death in the US, I think the divide between the Red and Blue states in this country will start to take a larger space in the spotlight.
With news of the first death, it happened in the state of Washington, with the possibility of a larger outbreak. And the state has subsequently declared a state of emergency.
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, meanwhile, declared a state of emergency in response to new cases of COVID-19, directing state agencies to use all resources necessary to prepare for and respond to the outbreak.
“This will allow us to get the resources we need,” Inslee said. “This is a time to take commonsense, proactive measures to ensure the health and safety of those who live in Washington state."
San Francisco and other California localities have declared states of emergency over the coronavirus. The state of New York has announced $40 million in emergency appropriations. On Friday, Michigan’s Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced that the state would be activating its emergency operations center to prepare for the virus. What you have are states and state governments that have reasonably assessed a high risk of the effects of COVID-19, and activating a coordinated, serious effort in response.
But the coronavirus does not care what your party affiliation is. And it is already in key Republican-controlled states, as well. Texas has confirmed at least 10 positive cases. Florida currently has about 150 being monitored.
While the increase in the number of positive cases is alarming, it is still a likely scenario that with a strategic, serious government response, the impact of the virus can still be contained, lives saved, and people most at-risk from contracting or dying from the disease being properly protected.
On the other hand, what we are seeing is a key part of our nation’s government — namely Trump and the Republican Party that has already done so much to facilitate has machinations — not taking the virus as seriously as these other more responsible local governments. And that can be a problem for us all.
Add to that, the minority-yet-still-significant population of fervent Trump followers, who will likely take Trump’s calling the coronavirus a hoax at face value, and not do what they can to protect themselves and those around them from contracting or spreading the disease. For many reasons, these are just as likely to be people who face the most risk from the disease — less access to effective healthcare, more likely to face exposure to people who are potentially infected, less likely to have local officials taking the threat seriously.
The potential scenario then becomes this: what happens when you have more Democratic states like California, New York, and Washington, taking the outbreak more seriously and doing everything they can to contain it — while other more Republican states, like Texas, Florida, Georgia or the Carolinas, are slower to respond, or never mount a significant response at all, either out of believing rhetoric like Trump’s or simply not wanting to appear to go against it?
Even if there ends up being an outcry that finally overcomes the partisan divide, this does not instill any fantasy that Trump would at any point admit that he was wrong and that the threat is more serious than he initially claims. The question then becomes if his followers would just morbidly go along with his lies just as with most every other mishap. If there ends up being major loss of life, a plummeting stock market, and perhaps even signs pointing to the fact that the Trump administration largely bungled the response, Trump would still more likely than not try to put all the blame on Democrats, despite being the ones who did their best to address the problem. And if the vast majority of Republicans still buy into Trump’s Bizarro world, despite perhaps having loved ones in the hospital, or even burying bodies, then perhaps there really is no turning back.